There were a lot of celebrities in Houston for the NCAA Final Four, and our spies reported sighting House Speaker John Boehner this weekend in the Bayou City. But the Ohio Republican’s office says he wasn’t there for basketball or even for the PGA golf tourney in Humble. Instead, they tell us, he was in Texas for “political events.”

Every powerful pol in DC knows these two facts: You can never raise too much money. And there’s a lot of Republican campaign cash to be had in Houston.

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Texas Tips

Every morning, we offer Texas news you may not have heard and insights from the Washington bureau staff.

? CORNYN TO INTRODUCE LIBYA RESOLUTION. Sen. John Cornyn plans to introduce the first non-binding resolution in the Senate which calls for a regime change in Libya. An excerpt from the resolution:

“Expressing the sense of the Senate that United States policy should be to remove Muammar Qaddafi from power in Libya, and calling on the President to submit a plan to achieve that goal and to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force against Libya.”

AP photo

Sen. John Cornyn

Cornyn’s resolution calls for President Barack Obama to submit to Congress a description of U.S. policy objectives during and after Gadhafi’s rule. The resolution also states that the president should seek authorization from Congress for military actions in Libya.

Although Cornyn’s resolution is likely to be the first in the Senate regarding Libya, it certainly isn’t the last. According to Foreign Policy superstar Josh Rogin, Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., are working on a resolution they hope will garner support from both sides of the aisle. Read more from Foreign Policy>>>

? TOM LEPPERT HAS ‘POSITIVE CONVERSATIONS’ WITH CORNYN. But he didn’t receive an endorsement. Didn’t even ask for it. The former Dallas mayor says he had “positive conversations” about his Senate bid with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Cornyn, R-San Antonio, but did not seek his endorsement. The race for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s seat in 2012 is already crowded, with Leppert competing against former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and former Secretary of State Roger Williams, among others. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is also a strong contender, should he make a bid. More from The Hill>>>

The last thing John Cornyn wants to do is to get into the middle of a heated Senate primary in his own state. That’s a lose-lose proposition for the chair of the Senate Republicans’ campaign committee.

Fox News Channel

? RAND SAYS HE THINKS RON WILL RUN. (Whew, what a political tongue twister!) Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Politico he thinks his dad, Rep. Ron Paul, will run for president in 2012. “I get every indication from looking at his schedule and hearing what he’s doing that I think he probably will,” said the junior Paul. “But that’s his decision to make.” Read more>>>

? BRADY TAKES HARD STANCE ON TRADE WITH RUSSIA. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, says Congress will not work to lift a Soviet-era law regarding trade with Russia until the Obama administration submits pending trade agreements with Colombia and Panama to Congress. The administration maintains that the two trade agreements aren’t ready, “prompting Republicans to declare that they won’t act on any trade matters, not a pending trade accord with South Korea and certainly not with Russia, until the Colombia and Panama accords are submitted” writes Bloomberg’s Jim Abrams. Read more>>>

In response to the looming government shut down that will occur Friday if Congress and the White House do not reach a deal, SaltWaterCroc wrote:

Only those who weren’t around for the last budget shutdown would want another. I worked on an Air Force base at the time, and even there the results were not pretty. But if the Republicans did not learn from their mistakes in their rush to help the wealthy, then they’ll have another chance. That this could throw the country into a depression doesn’t concern them, because they have a job. For now.

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Texas Watch

TxPotomac lets you know what stories to look out for today — and the rest of the week.

On Deck: Today

? The House Energy and Commerce Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee holds a hearing on “The U.S. Government Response to the Nuclear Power Plant Incident in Japan” at 9 a.m. EDT.

? The Federation for American Immigration Reform holds its “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” radio talk show town hall meeting today and tomorrow. Talk radio hosts from all across the country will spend two days interviewing members of Congress, immigration reform experts and law enforcement personnel.

? Thursday. The House Energy and Commerce Committee holds a hearing on proposals, possibly including one by Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, that would force more disclosure of the impacts of energy and environment related regulations.